A real training journal. Late 30s. Natural. No shortcuts.

This Week's Story

Back in December, on the 17th, I hit a bench press PR that had been building for months: 130kg (286lbs). That was the ceiling. The number I'd been chasing since I got serious about training again.

After that, I did what the program called for — eight weeks of stabilization work. No chasing new maxes. Just making 130kg feel less like a fight and more like a routine. Boring, necessary, and honestly harder than it sounds when you're itching to test yourself.

February 13th. Back to a top single. 130kg again — RPE 9. Hard, but clean. The weight moved. I wasn't buried under it.

Then last Thursday, February 20th, something felt different in warmup. Bar speed was good. Everything was dialed. I deviated from the program — which I almost never do — and decided to take another run at 130kg unplanned.

It went up. And the form was better than December.

That last part matters more to me than the number. In December it was a grind. On the 20th, it was controlled. The difference between surviving a lift and actually owning it. That's the gap I've been trying to close — and on Thursday, it closed a little.

Next target: 140kg. That's the lifelong goal. I can see it from here.

The Weekly Log

Currently running a 5-day Upper/Lower/Upper/Lower/Upper split, built around the bench press goal. Every session ends with 20 minutes on the treadmill. Here's the week:

Feb 16 — Bench Heavy Volume

Barbell Bench Press: 115kg × 4×4 + paused 105kg × 3×3
Speed Bench: 100kg × 1×12
Chest-Supported DB Rows: 14kg × 3×15
Weighted Pull-Ups: +5kg × 2×7, 1×5
Cable Triceps Pushdowns: 17.5kg × 3×15
Dumbbell Lateral Raises: 10kg × 3×20
Hanging Leg Raises: BW × 3×10
Treadmill: 20min incline walk

Note: 115kg volume felt stable and repeatable. Paused triples reinforced control and confidence post-130kg exposure.

Feb 17 — Lower Body

Barbell Back Squat (Paused): 115kg × 4×5
Romanian Deadlift: 80kg × 3×8
Pull-Ups: BW × 3×10
Preacher EZ-Bar Curls: 30kg × 1×7, 2×5
Ab Crunch Machine: 35kg × 3×15
Treadmill: 20min incline walk

Note: Moderate intensity to support recovery. Posterior-chain focus without spinal fatigue.

Feb 18 — Bench Speed / Hypertrophy

Barbell Bench Press: 100kg × 3×8 — RPE ~9 across all sets
Incline Barbell Bench: 70kg × 3×8 — RPE ~8
Pull-Ups: BW × 3×8
Lateral Raise Machine: 27.5kg × 3×20
Treadmill: 20min incline walk

Note: Low energy day. Everything felt heavier than it should at this load. No attempt to force intensity — completed the session conservatively and moved on. Off days happen.

Feb 20 — Bench Top Singles ⭐

Dips (activation): BW × 3×10
Incline DB Press: 40kg × 3×8 — bench was occupied on arrival
Bench Ramp: 60 → 80 → 100 → 110 → 120 → 125kg
Top Single: 130kg × 1 — slow, controlled, RPE 9.5
Back-Off Sets: 115kg × 3×3
Speed Bench: 100kg × 1×10
Weighted Dips: +30kg × 3×10
High Row Machine: 30kg × 3×15
Hanging Leg Raises: BW × 3×10
Treadmill: 20min incline walk

Note: 120 → 125 → 130 flowed progressively. Back-off triples at 115 after 130 confirmed strong recovery capacity. This is exactly what you want to see 7–10 days post-exposure.

Feb 21 — Overhead / Shoulders

Seated Barbell Shoulder Press: 70kg × 2×8, 1×5
Weighted Pull-Ups: +10kg × 5×5 — wide grip, strict form
Seated DB Shoulder Press (Ramp): 22 → 24 → 26 → 28 → 30kg × 8 each
Lateral Raise Machine: 27.5kg × 3×20
Single-Arm Cable Lateral Raise: 3×15
EZ-Bar Hammer Curls: 20kg × 3×10
EZ-Bar Curls: 20kg × 1×10
Treadmill: 20min incline walk

Note: DB shoulder press showed solid strength at 30kg × 8. Weighted pull-ups continuing to progress well.

Full daily logs with every set and rep are at whatsupp.jp. The newsletter is the story behind the numbers.

On the Plate

Quick context: around 2017, I had a severe allergic reaction — hives head to toe, vision blurred, nearly passed out in the shower. Bloodwork confirmed a gluten allergy. The nuance is that it's not full celiac — my body's reaction depends heavily on the specific food and amount. Pizza, ramen, pasta, and bread are the main triggers. But a hamburger, a single slice of pizza, or one beer? Through trial and error, I've learned I can usually handle those without a reaction. Everything I know about my own tolerance has been figured out the hard way.

So gluten isn't completely absent from my diet — but it's not the foundation of it either. What actually is:

Breakfast (every day, no exceptions): A blended shake — 100g rolled oats, banana, 50g blueberries, 10g honey, one scoop of protein (25g), 250ml black drip coffee. That's it. Pre-workout fuel, simple and consistent.

Lunch: Usually eaten out in the city between work and training. Rotates through the same few places — always rice-based, always a meat source (beef, pork, or chicken), vegetables when available. Not glamorous. It works.

Dinner: The most nutritious meal of the day, because my spouse cooks it. Fresh ingredients, balanced, always rice with a protein and vegetables. This is where I actually eat well.

I don't track macros closely right now, but I'm planning to start documenting this more carefully in upcoming issues — both for my own accountability and because eating for performance with a partial gluten intolerance in Japan is genuinely its own puzzle worth sharing.

Quick Snapshot

Training — 5 sessions. One low-energy day on the 18th, completed conservatively. Unplanned 130kg top single on the 20th. Better form than December.

Energy — Mixed. Wednesday was genuinely flat. Thursday bounced back. Friday was the best session of the week.

Eating — Consistent. Shake every morning, rice + protein for lunch, home-cooked dinner most nights. No gluten triggers this week.

Recovery — Treated seriously. Eating well on rest days, supplements as normal, sleep prioritized. Recovery is part of the program, not a break from it.

Next week — Back to the program. No deviations. Let the 130kg settle before pushing toward 135.

One Thing Worth Your Time

🤖 Tool — ChatGPT as a programming coach

I have no trainer. My programming is entirely built in collaboration with AI — I describe my goals, current lifts, recovery, and constraints, and we build the structure together. It's not perfect, but it's responsive and miles ahead of guessing. The 130kg bench didn't happen by accident. It happened because the program was actually thought through.

🥃 Side note — dram.jp

I used to run a whiskey review blog at dram.jp. Built up real traffic, documented a lot of good bottles. Training took over and reviews have been on pause — but I haven't abandoned it. The plan is to eventually bring both worlds together. A nearly-40-year-old lifting heavy and appreciating good whiskey in moderation is, honestly, a more accurate version of this life than pretending one doesn't exist.

That's Issue #001. I'm not trying to be an influencer. I'm not trying to sell you anything yet. I'm just documenting the work — honestly, week by week, at an age where a lot of people have already stopped showing up. If that resonates, stick around. It's going to get more interesting from here.

— Paulo, Sapporo 🇯🇵